PH sugar production falls short from Oct
Credit to Author: Eireene Jairee Gomez| Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2019 16:32:51 +0000
PHILIPPINE raw sugar production continued to decline at the start of October, reaching 33,328 metric tons (MMT) compared to its level a year ago, latest data from Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) showed.
SRA’s latest supply and demand situation report showed the decline was 58.93 percent lower from last year’s 81,152 MT, and total raw sugar output at 50-kilogram (kg) bags was 666,560 MT from 1.623 million MT a year earlier.
As of October 6, the demand for raw sugar went down by 29.6 percent to 94,899 MT as against 134,859 MT in 2018.
Refined sugar production dropped 8,260 MT, 82.21-percent down from last year’s 46,425 MT, and the total output at 50-kg bags stood at 165,208 MT compared to 928,508 MT last year. This clearly showed the decrease for the demand for refined sugar by 31.77 percent to 98,319 MT during the period from 144,109 MT in 2018.
Meanwhile, only 424,259 MT of sugarcane was milled, 58-percent lower from 1.016 million MT in 2018.
During the period, the wholesale price of raw and refined sugar was at P1,700 and P2,300 per 50-kg bag, respectively, as compared to last year’s P1,980 and P2,550 per 50-kilo bag. On the other hand, retail prices averaged P44 to P50/kg as of October 3.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the country’s raw sugar production is expected to decrease by 4.5 percent due to decrease in production area.
It would also fall short in filling in the total national requirement.
SRA, in its Sugar Order 1 on Sept. 4, 2019, said Philippine sugar production was seen reaching 2.096 million MT for calendar year 2019 to 2020 beginning September 2019 until end of August 2020.